By. Gopakumar Radhakrishnan
We Indians were seriously looking for at least one Gold medal from the Rio right? Perhaps, this is also the time to think what we are lacking as a nation? Whether we are enthusiastic enough in the sports? Whether we have any such confident, promising facilities to backup to our sportsmen even in case of their series of Failures?
We all know sports was not given due importance in our country since independence. Only for certain games like cricket or to the least to the tennis, we are more concerned due to its winning streak displayed by few talented sportsmen. Our sports administration since 70 years of our independence has proved itself as a miserable failure. This is a very sad thing as a nation and this should make all of us think about what our authorities were doing to promote sports of various kinds that are special to the localities of our states. Very little things have been done systematically and innovatively to tap our potentially native talents and to bring them up to the national and international arena. Sports and its grounds have been reduced to the play ground of the socially and politically corrupt people. This should be the first bush land where we have to make serious bulldozing and cleansing.
Apart from this, generally, over years, we have seen that sports enthusiastsâ are really struggling in our nation to achieve their desired heights. It is very evident that even for them, sports have always become secondary. To be more precise, in India, the domain of sports has been always treated as something less, impractical and risky as far as a career option or as a potential personal talent. Only those persons who were able to break these social norms with their passion are able to push them towards the forefront. Needless to mention that to get even into some basic sports coaching camps you need influence and recommendations. âSo the scenario is something like, that unless you get into something very self-made by your passion, devoting your time and money for many years with persistence, you will be treated as a fool by others, your society, friends, and relatives and even by the close family members.â For the majority sports is a wrong option to choose. All you can expect from around is very less support, pulling legs, staunch criticism and jealousy to make a sports person feel like not worthy at all. Our social circles are really clogged with aged old perceptions regarding social security, prejudiced with lot of social, political and religious things so as to create many Himalayan hurdles before such enthusiasts.
What we really need?
⢠First of all, we need to have a strong national sports policy and mission that will infuse national pride and purpose to its aspirants.
⢠Equal importance should be given to all kinds of sports.
⢠We need to have proper support mechanism and corruption free administration system to identify, train and motivate the young right from the school level.
⢠A long term plan with native and foreign sports methodologies and techniques infused into the system is very essential
⢠We need to establish a system that will make sport as an academic subject. The persons pursuing will be given degrees in their respective event. This should enable them highly fit for certain special kind of government jobs and in defense services.
⢠Special sports vigilance squads are required to cross check and monitor the activities of its working, fund usage and effectiveness.
⢠We need to setup more sports academies from the government level and this should cultivate a spirit of positivism in the society making it very qualified and revered to be chosen as a very dignified profession to pursue
⢠More research oriented kind of efforts has to be organized supporting the innovation and technical assistance.
Moreover, we have to learn from our repeated failures and if needed, we have to expand our perceptions to reach the villages and the culture of other nations about how they get involved into the activities of sports and how they have achieved their glorious winning spots. This is a matter of great challenge before India and its each and every citizen to feel within and to be on the right track. We have to explore and fetch our own mines of gold.
